Written by Jasmine Lapp (Class of 2026), Riley Cogburn (Class of 2026), and Ava Blossingham (Class of 2028); Edited by Trinity Hurford (Class of 2028) and Mr. Zane Harding (Journalism Advisor)
SKI (by Jasmine Lapp)
On February 9th, we had our regional finals race at Crystal Mountain. I came in 43rd for Slalom with a combined time of 1:15.64 and came in 49th in Giant Slalom (GS) with a combined time of 51.22. Aleah Blackmore came in 11th for Slalom with a combined time of 57.00 and qualified for states in GS coming in 5th with a combined time of 40.46. She will be racing at states in both GS and Slalom.
On February 17th we raced our conference finals race at Crystal Mountain. Brickston Reinhart came in 16th for Slalom with a combined time of 1:11.96 and 15th in GS with a combined time of 45.51. I got 15th in Slalom with a combined time of 1:10.18 and 13th in GS with a combined time of 43.84. Aleah Blackmore claimed 2nd in Slalom with a combined time of 50.68 and 4th in GS with a combined time of 39.98. She also won first in our conference with a total of 400 points.
Our conference race was the last of the season not including States Finals. We had Aleah Blackmore and Aubin Allee (co-op student from Pine River) qualify for states which will be at Schuss Mountain on February 23rd. It is also Aleah and Jasmine's final season with them graduating this spring. Good luck, ladies!
BOYS BASKETBALL (by Riley Cogburn)
The Portagers boys’ basketball team had a successful last couple of weeks, winning four of five games to close the regular season.
On February 5th, Onekama beat Brethren 67-36 in Bobcat territory. Carson Bradford led the Portagers with 20 points. Both Tyler Hart and Mitchell Falk pitched in 11 points for the team, and Bennett Zeller contributed 10 points. Onekama dominated the game early on, allowing no mercy.
Next, the Portagers defeated Shelby, 50-47, to reach a winning record on the year. Three key contributors were Tyler Hart with 15 points, Carson Bradford with 15 points, and Mitchell Falk with 12 points (and 8 rebounds). Bennett Zeller pitched in 6 points, and Ryan Hrachovina added 2 points and 8 rebounds. The victory lifted Onekama's record to 8-4.
The Portagers brought home another Northwest Conference win against Buckley, 47-40. At the beginning of the game, the Portagers were behind 25-21. Then, they took the reins and outscored the Bears after halftime. Tyler Hart contributed 15 points, 1 rebound, and 3 steals. Luke Bradford scored 13 points with 9 rebounds and a steal. Bennett Zeller scored 8 points, while Carson Bradford scored 7 points and added a steal. Both Jacob Burtch and Ryan Hrachovina pitched in 2 points each. Onekama stood 8-4 in the Northwest Conference and 11-9 overall after the game.
On February 13, the Portagers lost to Benzie Central, 63-47. Benzie Central got off to a hot start from three-point range, and while Onekama got close, 49-36, in the fourth quarter, the Huskies never let go of their early lead. Luke Bradford scored 22 points, Bennett Zeller 10 points, and Carson Bradford 8 points.
However, the Portagers redeemed themselves with an impressive win against Suttons Bay to close the regular season. With strong defense and balanced scoring, Onekama took the lead early on. Top contributors were Tyler Hart (15 points, 3 rebounds), Luke Bradford (15 points, 2 rebounds), Carson Bradford (13 points, 2 steals), Ryan Hrachovina (8 points, 7 rebounds), and Mitchell Falk (7 points, 5 rebounds). The boys finished the regular season 12-10 with a 9-5 Northwest Conference record (third behind conference winner Glen Lake and runner-up Benzie Central).
Come join the Onekama Portagers for their district game against Brethren at home. It will take place at 7:00 p.m. on February 23 in our home gym. See you there!
GIRLS BASKETBALL (by Ava Blossingham)
Our varsity girls have five wins and counting this month, and sit at a 13-5 record for their overall season!
Their first game of the month was played on the 4th against St. Francis, and they took the win with a score of 52-28. On the 6th, they went up against Glen Lake and sadly could not secure a win for the night, falling 47-40. From the 11th to the 18th, we saw a 3 row win against Leland, Benzie, and Mason County Central (MCC). The game against Leland ended 39-23, then the game against Benzie was won 48-32 — back-to-back 16-point wins — and finally the game against MCC was (39-31).
The girls are currently on a three-game winning streak and play tonight at Brethren at 6:30 PM before heading to Frankfort on the 24th and Kingsley on the 26th to close the season before their eventual districts games. Keep up the good work, ladies!